Parastephanellus delicatus Aguiar, 2005

Aguiar, Alexandre P. & Jennings, John T., 2005, First record of Stephanidae (Hymenoptera) from New Caledonia, with descriptions of four new species of Parastephanellus Enderlein, Zootaxa 1001 (1), pp. 1-16 : 3-5

Parastephanellus delicatus Aguiar , NEW SPECIES ( Figs 1 –7, 14)

Holotype female ( BPBM), verbatim label data: “ New Caledonia, Col des Roussettes , 550 m, 4–6 February 1963 ”; “ J. L. Gressitt collector”; “ OSUC 0021379 [barcode, plastic]”. Right antenna broken beyond 4 th flagellomere; mesosoma widely broken laterally on right side and ventrally due to insertion of pin; left front wing tore at apex; otherwise complete and well preserved.

DESCRIPTION. Length, excluding ovipositor, 17.6 mm; ovipositor 25.0 mm; morphometric ratios in Table 1. Head. Frons (Fig. 2) almost entirely finely subareolate­rugu­ lose, paraocular strigation not evident, distinct only very narrowly along eye margin, frontal carina indistinct but weak. Antenna with 36 flagellomeres, ventrally with large oval tyloids restricted to apical 0.2–0.6 of flagellomeres 3–7, occurring along entire length on flagellomeres 8–25, absent from last 9 flagellomeres, which are centrally laterally compressed. Coronal area transversely strigate, except for a few longitudinal strigae in front of posterior tubercles. Vertex (Fig. 3) with 30 fine transverse strigae counted centrally, sculpturing along central 0.3 from anteriorly transversely strigate­rugose to posteriorly transversely finely strigate, laterally distinctly coarser, more irregular and with subareolations, reaching occipital carina and extending to temple, including dorsally on genal stripe; dorso­longitudinal impression distinct. Gena smooth and polished, genal angle in dorsal view strongly prominent, almost acuminate.

Mesosoma. Prosternum apically longitudinally rugulose, centrally weakly obliquely rugulose, basally polished with a few small, shallow punctures, apico­medially briefly rugulose. Pronotum (Fig. 5): neck anteriorly arcuately strigate, basally concave and polished; pronotal fold stout, its anterior margin approximately straight, neither collapsed nor emarginate; preannular, semiannular, pronotal lobe, femoral groove and its ventral area continuously and entirely transversely carinate­rugose, posteriorly slightly more oblique than anteriorly; semiannular latero­dorsally also with small weak subfoveolae in between coarse rugosity; posterior corner subapically with distinct patch of white dense pilosity, its surface finely longitudinally rugulose. Mesoscutum anterior margin (area over which semiannular slides) transversely alutaceous, main area transversely strongly rugose with some subfoveolae in between; median sulcus and notauli distinct, formed by closely aligned foveolae. Axilla (Fig. 4) anterior margin transversely alutaceous, lateral half longitudinally rugose, medial half rugulose­foveate. Scutellum (Fig. 4) centro­longitudinally very finely and densely transversely alutaceous­rugulose, changing to laterally transversely subfoveolate­rugose. Mesepisternum dorsally and on anterior 0.3 covered with dense white short pilosity, hairs centrally and posteriorly sparse; entirely transversely rugose with numerous small subfoveolae in between. Mesopseudosternum polished, very weakly alutaceous, discrimen crenulate. Propodeum (Fig. 6) antero­lateral corners distinctly alutaceous, main area densely transversely subfoveolate­rugose; parapetiolar fovea distinct, smooth and polished inside. Spiracular groove indistinct; spiracular carina distinct only on its basal 0.6, not reaching antero­lateral corner; anterior spiracular plate smooth and polished, posterior plate transversely weakly alutaceous. Metapleuron laterally with short yellowish pilosity; entirely strongly transversely carinate­rugose; latero­posteriorly also partly areolate; ventrally, on post­foveolar area, less densely sculptured, smooth and polished in between carinae. Interfoveolar area narrow, ventral half smooth, dorsal half crenulate. Hind coxa strongly transversely (slightly oblique) strigate; hind femur basal 0.2 microscopically alutaceous, remainder obliquely alutaceous­strigulose, this sculpturing about the same on all sides; ventrally with 4–5 small tubercles between base and median tooth; with small strong tubercles in between femoral teeth and apically to apical tooth. Hind tibia laterally very strongly and densely alutaceous, more than on femur; posteriorly with very strong and sharply carinate compression.

Wings. Front wing vein M+Cu with several setae along its entire length, from widely spaced basally to apical 9 setae distant from each other by about 1.5 times their own length; last seta ending on point of connection with vein 1M; veins 2r and 2+3R slightly and uniformly curved; vein 1Rs slightly curved towards wing base; vein 2Cua tubular on basal 0.2, remainder nebulous, apical 0.4 bent towards wing apex; vein 2+3M basal 0.6 distinctly tubular, apical 0.4 nearly spectral, this portion also marked by imperfectly aligned microtrichia, vein disappearing entirely a little before reaching wing margin; pterostigma very long, about 8.3 times as long as greatest width, apex elongate­triangular (Fig. 14).

Metasoma. Petiole densely transversely strigate, basally slightly more irregular than remainder, ventrally more weakly sculptured than dorsally; T3 basal 0.25 with stout, straight longitudinal rugae (Fig. 7), ventrally to these the tergite is narrowed, remainder of T3 microscopically longitudinally alutaceous; T4–7 microscopically transversally alutaceous (dull); T8 distinctly alutaceous, shiny; pygidium a somewhat triangular, arcuate, emarginate plate; pygidial impression V­shaped.

Color. Mostly dark brown with lighter areas of reddish tint, except as follows. Darkest on axilla laterally (Fig. 4), hind tibia laterally and propodeum anterior corner. Face along eye margin from base of antenna to median tubercle with wide, intensely yellow stripe (Fig. 2); coronal area posteriorly, including at eye margin, reddish brown; gena brown; genal stripe light yellow, reaching and crossing temple, then bent backwards and widened, ending at occipital carina (Fig. 3). Semiannular hind dorsal margin golden yellow (Fig. 5); wings uniformly light amber, veins brown; fore and mid legs brown, except mid tibia basal 0.3 and apical 0.1 and basal 0.6 basitarsomere, brownish yellow; hind tarsus yellow. Ovipositor valves brown, without pre­apical white band.

Male. Unknown.

Comments. This species is similar to P. mouensis , from which it can be immediately separated by having with two wide longitudinal yellow stripes on the lateral face (vs. unicolorous; Figs 2 vs. 8). Also, the pronotal fold is straight and not collapsed (vs. emarginate and collapsed; Figs 5 vs. 11), the sculpturing of the scutellum is fine (vs. coarse; Figs. 4 vs. 10), the propodeal sculpturing is coarse (vs. fine; Figs 6 vs. 12), the pronotum shorter (Pnl/ Smw 1.2 vs. 1.5), the petiole longer (Gsl/Ptl 1.0 vs. 1.2), and the hind basitarsus longer (btl/ w 5.0 vs. 4.4). This species is also somewhat similar in appearance to the Australian P. trifasciatus Aguiar , from which it can be readily separated by having only two longitudinal yellow stripes on the frons (vs. three), the pronotum laterally transversely strigate (vs. alutaceous), and the scutellum with fine sculpturing (vs. coarse). This species name derives from the Latin delicatus , meaning delicate, in reference to the fine sculpturing of scutellum. Known only from Col des Roussettes, New Caledonia ( Fig. 1 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution records for Stephanidae in New Caledonia.